Volunteering with the AVMA

Any AVMA voting member can volunteer, and we’re proud to have members from all areas of the profession represented in leadership roles.

The best way to get involved is to run for election to one of our councils, committees, task forces, or trusts. You’ll need to have up-to-date professional information in your AVMA membership profile to do this.

See current volunteer opportunities

Volunteer eligibility

• Anyone who is an AVMA voting member can volunteer for positions on AVMA councils and committees.
• Board of Directors candidates must be voting members of the AVMA for at least five years, and reside in the district for which they are elected.
• Certain entities include positions for veterinary technicians.

Diversity, equity and inclusion is important to AVMA in all we do, including appointing volunteers. Valuing DEI ensures we have the ability to more fully leverage the knowledge and abilities of all our great members.

Before applying for an AVMA volunteer position, please be sure to update your member profile, because the AVMA utilizes the information in your AVMA membership and professional activity profile to determine eligibility for service on AVMA governing bodies.

Volunteers do a wide variety of work on behalf of colleagues and the AVMA, on topics ranging from antimicrobials to medical ethics, and from legislation to education.

In exchange for your time, you’ll enhance your network and develop and use leadership skills that will benefit you professionally and personally. As an AVMA volunteer, you will:

• Be part of a creative and dynamic team
• Work collaboratively to tackle some of the most challenging issues currently facing veterinary medicine
• Network with other influential colleagues across the profession
• Grow your leadership skills
• Give back to the profession
• Make tangible impact on the profession

The association is the authoritative voice for the veterinary profession in presenting its views to government, academia, agriculture, pet owners, the media, and other audiences. The views expressed result from the collaboration of volunteer members who work through AVMA councils, committees, advisory boards, commissions, task forces, and two insurance trusts to recommend AVMA policies that are then considered for approval by the Board of Directors and the House of Delegates.

There are positions available on councils, committees, and other entities that can be a great match for your interests, background, and skills. Volunteers are engaged in a wide variety of activities on behalf of the association, from legislation to education to medical ethics. As examples, the state advocacy committee utilizes volunteers to make presentations that help educate the legal community on animal law issues, the volunteer committee members help plan the annual AVMA Convention and Veterinary Leadership Conference, and members of the Council on Education (COE) and the Committee on Veterinary Technician Education and Activities (CVTEA) conduct site visits to evaluate veterinary colleges and veterinary technician programs for accreditation.

Almost every aspect of the AVMA's work is advanced by volunteers in some way.

View a list of councils, committees, task forces, and trusts

Council positions

Upcoming council vacancies are announced in September or October of each year. Nominations are accepted from organizations represented in the AVMA House of Delegates or by the signature of ten voting AVMA members. Nominations must be received by April 1 (or February 1 for the Council on Education positions) of the following year. Council members are elected to a once-renewable three-year term by the House of Delegates at the AVMA Annual Session, with the exception of Council on Education positions, which hold a six-year term. OfficeEVPavma [dot] org (Contact us) for more information.

Committee positions

Upcoming committee vacancies are announced in September or October of each year. Depending on the position, nominations are accepted from organizations represented in the AVMA House of Delegates or from any voting AVMA member. Nominations must be received 45 days before the following year's April Board of Directors meeting, when most committee members are appointed to three-year terms. OfficeEVPavma [dot] org (Contact us) for more information.

Other volunteer opportunities

There are numerous opportunities available to those veterinarians who cannot commit to a three-year volunteering role. There are opportunities available to become a spokesperson for critical AVMA issues, diversity within the workforce and AVMA policies. For more information on these and others opportunities, contact Msanfilippo?subject=Volunteer%20Opportunitiesavma [dot] org (subject: Volunteer%20Opportunities%40avma.org%3Fsubject%3DVolunteer%20Opportunities%40avma.org) (Michael San Filippo).

The length of volunteer terms and meeting frequency depend on the volunteer position you hold.

If you decide to volunteer to serve on an AVMA council or committee, generally plan on serving a three-year term for most committees and councils. Where applicable, committee and council members may seek a second three-year term. Council and committee members make a trip to AVMA Headquarters twice a year.

Members of the Board of Directors are elected to six-year terms and meet seven times each year—in January, April, June, August and November, and twice at the annual convention in July.

House of Delegates members are elected to four-year terms. Two sessions of the House of Delegates are held. The Regular Winter Session takes place in January during the Veterinary Leadership Conference, and the Regular Annual Session is held in July just prior to the annual convention.

The seven-member House Advisory Committee meets five times a year—twice during the annual convention in July, once in January right before the Veterinary Leadership Conference, and once in the fall and spring, typically in November and April.

Other volunteers are used on an as-needed basis, depending on both your schedule and the needs of the project for which you are volunteering.

Where you spend your time as an AVMA volunteer also depends on the specific work you sign on to do. Some ad hoc volunteer work can be done remotely. Many committee, council, and task force meetings happen at AVMA headquarters outside Chicago.